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	        Priority Goals for the December Prototype

			       (Jim O'Dell)



SUMMARY:



This Proposal puts forth two lists, each of which is a set of goals
which we expect to achieve in demonstrating a discrete component
prototype version of the Falcon Processor product.  The action items in
the first list, entitled "First Priority Prototype Functionality", are
scheduled to be completed on or before December 30, 1988. The action
items in the second set of goals, called "Second Priority Prototype
Functionality", have yet to be assigned actual completion dates; they
currently exist as "as soon as time permits" agenda items.

We believe a prototype should represent both the appearance and
performance of the eventual product.  Both the interaction of the screen
and the keyboard with the Macintosh, as well as the performance of the
Falcon itself, will serve as our model for gauging these attributes.
The First Priority list of items in this Proposal constitutes those
items necessary for building such a prototype.

This prototype may be reasonably expected to respond to user interaction
only at the hands of highly sophisticated systems programmers.  Only
after the items in the Second Priority list have been completed is it
reasonable to expect the system to support applications programming.



BACKGROUND:



In setting goals for demonstrating a Falcon prototype in December, it
should be noted that considerable hardware requirements underlie this
venture.  These may be summarized as follows:
 
    Hardware Requirements:

	A GigaMos Lambda computer with 1/2" tape drive.

	A NuBus extender card for the Lambda.

	A Macintosh II computer with 1 MB memory

	An Apple compatible video card and monitor

	A Macintosh II extended keyboard.

	An Apple ethernet board. (probably not)

	A 350 MB disk drive

	2 NuBus coupler sets, with cabling and connectors.

	Card cage and cabinet (Mac-Mate) to hold the Falcon processor.

	A Falcon board set which includes processor (with Weitek floating
        point chip), and memory card (how much memory do we think we'll
        need?).

In addition, the following software items are assumed to be available or
to have been completed by the December Deliverable date.

    Software Requirements:

	A Lambda --> Falcon port of Montreal's KMAC interface software

	A Lambda --> Falcon cross compiler



IMPLEMENTATION:



 First Priority Functionality:

	A functioning screen interface, capable of accepting typein and
	producing Falcon response typeout

	A connected keyboard, capable of generating standard character
	input to the main Falcon processor

	A connected mouse, capable of generating mouse clicking input to
	the main Falcon processor

	A file system interface, capable of supporting a read-file and 
	write-file protocol

	A full demonstration of the timed evaluation of the complete set
	of Gabriel "benchmark" (speed and performance) tests.

 Second Priority Prototype Functionality:

	A port of the Lambda cross compiler to the Falcon
	(becoming the standard native Falcon compiler)

	An implementation of the Lisp Machine Flavors system

	An implementation of stack groups

	A mechanism for handling stack frame overflow

	A working virtual memory implementation

	A software booting switch on the Macintosh side

	A real time garbage collection program



MECHANISM:



	This Proposal, being of a somewhat different scope and nature
than most, requires a description of what it would mean for this
Proposal to be accepted.  In Accepting this Proposal, each member of the
GigaMos development team agrees to undertake all reasonable efforts to
ensure that each of the Items specified in the Top Priority Prototype
Functionality section exists as part of the December Prototype Falcon.
Once complete, focus will be shifted towards the completion of the
remaining items (those in the "Second Priority" list).


	
COMMENTS:



STATUS: Open